When thinking about the Spanish conquerors' arrival to the Kingdom of Quito, Ecuador, it is impossible not to imagine how astonished would they have felt by looking at the various social settlements and realizing how different could their culture and customs be, regardless of being separated by very short distances. This diversity is still found today in Ecuador, a multi-ethnic and thus multicultural nation that is nowadays home to fourteen ethnic groups, living in more than sixteen communities. Among these indigenous groups we can find the Huaorani and the Achuar, both communities that have stood out as nature's guardians.
The Huaorani have a population of 4.000 people, located inside the Ecuadorian Amazon basin, in the provinces of Orellana, Pastaza and Napo, which comprised in a 6,125km² (3805sq.mi) area considered by the Ecuador government, since 1990, an untouchable indigenous reserve, thanks to its support and conservation of ethnical customs and beliefs policy. Their reserve overlaps with the Yasunà National Park, one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth, something that provides them some measure of environmental protection and, at the same time, makes them its primary defenders, given their belief of respecting everything that exists.
The Huaorani people are known for taking the decision to live in complete isolation, away from the contemporary world. The forest is their home, and they consider the outside world to be unsafe. Among their beliefs is found that of afterlife. According to them, a person who dies walks a trail to the next life guarded by large python. Those who cannot escape the snake fail to enter the spirits' domain and return to Earth to become animals. Another Huaorani belief is that deer's eyes are similar to those of humans, and therefore they shall not hunt and eat them.
Living south of the Huaorani settlements are found the Achuars, formed by 28 communities settled in the provinces of Morona Santiago and Pastaza, being Kapawi their most internationally famous community. They are sedentary people that inhabit the Amazon region and are deeply attached to it, something of great importance when it comes to defending that area. The Achuar people preserve old practices such as polygamy, something that results into big, expanded families living at the same house. Marriages are typically made of partners somehow related or, in some instances, women are taken from nearby tribes. The size of the house plays a primordial part in the self-esteem of an Achuar man. The bigger the house, the more wives and children can fit on it, and therefore they're more likely to be considered a juunt, or "great man".
The Achuar community live in peace with Nature, feeding on what it provides them. Unlike the Huaorani, the Achuar welcome visitors who want to get to know their culture, their lifestyle and their spirituality while having a different travel experience at the same time. Ecuador will amaze you with the variety of immeasurable cultural treasures you'll find at every step. Although indigenous cultures can be considered as odd by the modern world at first, it is through the observation, knowledge and understanding of these millenary cultures that we'll be able to brake free from our prejudices and learn to respect life of all kinds and, therefore, protect the environment.
Visiting Ecuador's indigenous communities is the perfect opportunity to mix adventure with the experience of discovering different people and ways of life. Let them show you how and why they've become Nature's keepers.
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